An almost weekly update of environmental news, particularly marine updates, with occasional splatters of transportation, indigenous, ideas of sustainability and sustainable development from around the world.

15.2.07

The Long Shadow Of Australia's Dry Spell

Feb 15 2007 (TODAY)

Govt imposes limits such as specific days for watering plants, ways towash cars

CANBERRA - Major cities in Australia have introduced various limits on theuse of water as the country - in its sixth year of drought - struggles tocope with water shortages, Reuters reported.

Households currently account for only 9 per cent of Australia's totalwater consumption except for Darwin, which is experiencing high rainfalllevels.

Over the past five years, all other Australian major cities have imposedrestrictions on the use of water. Across the nation, the Australiangovernment wants to reduce water consumption by between 20 and 35 per centfrom 2001 to 2030. New South Wales' Goulburn, which is Australia's oldestinland city, has limited household water consumption to 150 litres perperson a day.

In Sydney, residents can only water their gardens at specific times onWednesdays and Sundays.

Using hoses to wash cars was banned in 2003, angering some who saidwashing cars using buckets wasted more water.

Authorities in the capital of Canberra have ruled that cars can only becleaned at commercial car washes that recycle their water.

The use of sprinklers for water lawns has been banned in Adelaide,Brisbane and Perth, while officials have been seen patrolling the suburbsof Melbourne, issuing fines to people who waste water.

Even Australia's national Parliament has implemented severalwater-conserving measures, such as setting the air-conditioners to atemperature 2°C higher.

Despite the inconveniences for households, the water restrictions haveboosted some of Australia's businesses.

Hardware stores reported higher sales of buckets, while suppliers ofrainwater tanks are struggling to cope with demand, with delays of up toeight weeks on filling orders. Landscape gardeners are also benefitingfrom more households wanting to reconfigure their gardens' water-savingirrigation systems.

The Australian public has appeared to support these water saving measures.

A report commissioned by the national government late last year found thathousehold water consumption had declined by more than 13 per cent in allmajor cities from 2001 to 2005.